Monthly Archives: June 2010

We are pleased to report that our club continues to be very involved in many activities that support our core mission and our community.

Among the exciting new programs is a partnership that we have developed with Alu Like to train native Hawaiian youth from the Kane`ohe-Kualoa area. Funded by federal stimulus monies, these youths will be paid to learn about our area’s history, heritage and culture. Known as “The Ko`olaupoko Hawaiian Civic Club Cultural Mentoring and Education Program”, the program involves working with our cultural practitioners and others within the civic club and community to share our knowledge with these teenagers so that they themselves can train others.

Among the training goals of the program, these youth will hopefully learn:

* History of Kane`ohe area and Ko`olaupoko
* Mo`olelo (stories, legends)
* `Oli (chants)
* Hawaiian values, protocols and cultural practices
* How to conduct a cultural tour
* How to deal with the public
* Our kuleana (responsibilities) in the ahupua`a, and about the ahupua`a of Ko`olaupoko.

The student-trainees are responsible to:

* Strive to be pono – righteous in all their thoughts and behavior
* Come to work when scheduled
* Be available and accessible to contacts from our trainers
* Dress appropriately for the work they will be doing
* Show respect for themselves, each other, the trainers and the community
* Forgo smoking, alcohol and drugs when participating in program activities
* Refrain from rough-housing or other rude and disruptive behavior while on field outings
* Call on their families to assist with transportation as needed
* Provide their own lunches (they are paid for the training)
* Ask questions if they have concerns or don’t understand

A big mahalo to program coordinator and lead trainer Mahealani Cypher (Native Knowledge LLC), assistant coordinator Shandry Lopes, Aunty Alice Hewett, Rocky Kaluhiwa, Sol Naluai and Liko Kaluhiwa for giving of their time and talent to develop these young people into cultural trainers for our community.

* Submitted grant requests to both OHA and the Castle Foundation for funding to support capacity-building and planning for the He`eia wetlands project. We are grateful to both funders for providing start-up funding to get this major community initiative moving forward. Mahalo!

* Met with Kaulana Park, chair of the Hawaiian Homes Commission, regarding Ha`iku Valley, urging him to work with OHA and our community to ensure that a cultural preserve is established in the valley. Received assurances from him that he is supportive of such action.

* Met with Brennan Morioka, director of the state department of transportation, to urge his kokua and support for the cultural preserve project in Ha`iku Valley. Received his assurances that he would do what he can, including requesting needed federal funding to support completion of the H-3 cultural mitigation plan.

* Work continued on cleaning Kanehekili Heiau in Ha`iku Valley, with volunteers coming regularly to malama na wahi kapu.

– Ko`olaupoko Ahupua`a Boundary Marker Project

* Met with Brennan Morioka to enlist DOT’s support for acceptance of the new Ko`olaupoko ahupua`a boundary marker signage being planned by a steering committee of representatives from the Ko`olaupoko, Kailua, Waimanalo and Maunalua (Hawaii-Kai) Hawaiian Civic Clubs, the Kahalu`u, Kane`ohe, Kailua, Waimanalo and Hawaii-Kai Neighborhood Boards, Hawaii’s Thousand Friends, and other community members. He is awaiting the sample signage before making a commitment.

* Received grant from OHA to match earlier funding from Castle Foundation to provide support for completion of this project and to fund the Distinguished Kama`aina publication and a Ko`olaupoko cultural practitioners retreat. Mahalo to OHA!

* Worked with graphic designer on sample signage, and circulated sample to KPHCC board and to steering committee members. Final graphic design will be submitted to state and county transportation departments for their approval before signage will be ordered.

* Worked with state and county transportation officials to determine specifications for signage, and with signage vendors to obtain bids for signage.

– Cultural Education Program

The civic club continues its many efforts to raise awareness of the rich culture, history and heritage of the nine ahupua`a around Kane`ohe Bay.

During this reporting period, two cultural tours have been given aboard the glassbottom boat at He`eia-kea Pier, with mana`o shared by Mahealani Cypher and Jerry Kaluhiwa.

In addition, the club has provided tours to Likeke Trail, Lulumahu Valley, and Na Wahi Pana o Kane`ohe. Members also journeyed to Kahuku-uka with Makaha Hawaiian Civic Club president John DeSoto and Army archaeologists to visit ancient Hawaiian villages, burial mounds and wahi kapu in the area. Mahealani also took a group from Kako`o `Oiwi into Halawa Valley on a quest for `awa plants to grow at He`eia, and accompanied representatives of Hawaiian Memorial Park through a proposed cultural preserve that would be created at `ili Kawa`ewa`e, an effort to recognize the importance of that major heiau.

– Community Engagement

The club also participated in a telephone conference with the federal Advisory Council for Historic Preservation regarding proposed new guidelines for federal agencies in dealing with native Hawaiians and concerns for protection of Hawaiian sacred and historic sites, and in a Heritage Tourism conference at the State Capitol.

Representatives of the club also assisted Hakipu`u Learning Center and Hawaiian Electric with a service project to clean invasive limu from the reef at Kualoa Beach.

– Meeting Notes

Guest presentations at our civic club meetings included HCAP, who offered energy-saving program to replace lightbulbs and refrigerators in the homes of our kupuna; Rep. Jessica Wooley and Sen. Clayton Hee, offering a wrap-up on the recent legislative session and the Akaka Bill; Hawaiian Memorial Park, inviting the club to work with them to malama Kawa`ewa`e heiau complex; Townscape Planners and Mahuahua Ai o Hoi, providing an update on the He`eia wetlands project; and a “movie-night”, during which members viewed three interesting films about salt-making on Kaua`i, Celebrate Kane`ohe 2007, and Malama Halawa, the Caretaking of a Valley (H-3 struggle).

– Acting President

A big mahalo to 1st Vice President Leialoha “Rocky” Kaluhiwa, who has served very well for the past three months as acting president of our club while I took a “sabbatical” and focused on moving our grant projects forward. She is doing an excellent job!